1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to interacting with a virtual scene using a freehand user input device. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention generally relate to interacting with a virtual scene at a perspective which is independent from the perspective of the user.
2. Description of the Related Art
Three dimensional (3D) computing devices have been an area of great interest in computer science for the past few decades. Research in the area of 3D technology has led to innovations for devices such as televisions, movie theaters and computing devices. Technology in this field has advanced to produce hardware and software specifically designed to generate greater realism and more natural computer-human interfaces.
Present day devices for interfacing with a 3D computing device do not provide a level of realism that users desire. Though there are a number of options for a user to choose from, such as a keyboard and mouse combination, user-positioning cameras or remotes, these devices fail to either provide depth to the virtual interaction, are not intuitive for the user or both. Keyboards provide a high level of precision but also a slow interface. Controllers and keyboards are limited in that the parameters of the 3D object are controlled by numerous buttons. Though numerous buttons might increase precision, it creates a slow, bulky and ultimately non-intuitive means for rendering and controlling a 3D object.
With regards to depth, current designs require the user to interact with the virtual scene from the user perspective. A user in a physical space can interact with a real object from any angle, including objects which cannot be seen by the user from the user's current perspective. When using an interaction device, like those described above, the projection in the virtual scene must be adjusted to allow a user to interact with an object which is not visible from the user's current perspective.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus which allows the user to interact with a virtual space in a more realistic fashion.